TechCrunch Daily Crunch Mark Cuban’s war on America’s $5 trillion healthcare machine
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Aug 29, 2025 A billionaire entrepreneur challenges the shortcomings of America's healthcare system, focusing on the lack of transparency in medical costs and prescription pricing. The discussion highlights the flawed U.S. drug pricing system and how pharmacy benefit managers contribute to high prices. A revolutionary model, Cost Plus Drugs, is introduced as a potential solution for affordable medication. Additionally, the launch of MathGPT.AI is celebrated, showcasing its innovative role in enhancing math education through Socratic questioning for college students and professors.
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Transparent Cost-Based Drug Pricing
- Mark Cuban argues US drug pricing is opaque and designed to hide true costs from patients.
- Cost Plus Drugs prices at manufacturer cost +15% +$5 fee + shipping to expose and lower prices.
Shortages As A Price Lever
- Cuban says artificial shortages let manufacturers jack up prices during scarcity events.
- He built a robotics-driven factory to rapidly produce drugs and attack those shortages.
Profit vs R&D Justification Questioned
- High US drug prices are defended as necessary for R&D but evidence suggests profits often exceed R&D costs.
- A 2021 study showed top-selling drugs produced returns that surpassed their R&D expenditures by billions.